Gracewood Springs
by aumontalc
Summary: Grey's Anatomy set in the 1870s in Colorado Territory. Some current pairings with a few oddball ones thrown in.
1. Chapter 1

_1870, Gracewood Springs, Colorado Territory_

"Mr. Avery, do you think we should put these new bonnets in the window? I know some of the ladies in town have been dying to see the new styles."

Jackson Avery, the proprietor of the Gracewood Springs General Store, looked up from his pocket watch to glance at his shopkeeper, April Kepner. "Sounds like a mighty fine idea," he replied. "April, I'm gonna go on over to the saloon and get a drink to cool off. I'll be back in about an hour or so."

April chuckled, giving him a knowing grin. "It's Miss Stephanie Edwards, isn't it? You're right plum afraid of her."

"I'm not afraid of her. I just wish my ma and her pa would stop pushing her at me. I'm sure she will make some man a very fine wife, but I sure as heck don't want it to be me."

"Well, go on. I'll keep things running smoothly until you're done hiding."

Glaring half-heartedly at her, he teased, "That's the pot calling the kettle black isn't it? Why, wasn't it just the other day you practically begged me to let you work late so a certain man wouldn't wait around to walk you home?"

Smoothing her apron, April coyly replied, "I have no idea what you mean. The shelves truly did need to be reorganized."

"You sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Matthew Taylor was trying to get you alone so he could propose?" Jackson asked, grinning at the sight of April's angry blush. He didn't know why but he loved getting a rise out of her.

"No, it did not. Hey, I think I see Miss Edwards coming down the street."

At April's warning, Jackson ducked low and crept behind the counter reaching the back door as quickly as he could.

The bells on the door rang as Stephanie Edwards bustled into the store. Her eagle-like eyes scanned the room, searching for the owner.

"Good afternoon Miss Edwards is there something I can help you find today? We just got some new bonnets and fabrics in today. There's a dark blue one that would look just fabulous on you."

Stephanie dismissed April's suggestion with a wave of her hand. The daughter of the mayor and his wife, she was used to getting everything she wanted. And currently, she wanted Jackson Avery - grandson of the richest man in town. Not only did he have considerable wealth, but his dreamy blue-green eyes and handsome face made her and the rest of the girls in town swoon. Stephanie would not rest until her last name was Avery.

"Is your boss here?"

April walked behind the counter, catching a quick glimpse of Jackson's head through the window in the back of the store before he disappeared completely. Responding truthfully and with a sly smile, she said, "No, you just missed him. But I can tell him that you came by."

"Maybe he'll be back soon. I'll stay here for a spell."

"Oh, goody..." muttered April under her breath.

* * *

Mark was wiping a glass dry when Jackson walked into the bar. Sitting down on a stool, Jackson ordered a shot of whiskey.

"I take it Miss Edwards has come a calling. Are you having April doing your dirty work for you again?"

Knocking back the shot of whiskey, he set the empty glass on the bar. "I do the same for her when that shoeless farmer comes a courtin'."

Mark poured Jackson another shot of whiskey. "Taylor's not a bad man. He plays a fair hand of poker, never gets into brawls, doesn't owe me money. He's a good match for her. She was raised on a farm. She'd be a good wife for a farmer."

"Yeah, but April's not interested. Not sure when he's going to take a hint and skedaddle. Reckon April's just gonna have to tell him out right that she doesn't wanna marry him."

"Funny. Why don't you do the same with Miss Edwards?"

Jackson rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know. If it's not Miss Edwards, it's gonna be someone else. My ma and grandpa have been pushing for me to get married and start a family."

"You better think of something or people'll think you're a scaredy cat hiding out from a little ol' woman."

At that moment, the doors to the saloon swung open and Calliope Torres stormed inside. "Mark Sloan, I need to speak to you."

Calliope Torres was a tall, curvy black-haired witch who had enthralled Mark Sloan since he'd moved to this town five years ago and opened up his saloon. He'd met her the day after he moved to Gracewood Springs. He'd been looking for a new horse and the word around town was that the Torres bred the best horses for miles around. Expecting to speak with the owner of the ranch, he had been surprised to find a woman in a button down shirt and skin-tight jeans waiting to greet him. She had shown him the horses and had helped him pick Silver Lightning, his grey stallion. Her brash honesty and raunchy sense of humor had enamored him from day one.

It was not uncommon for Calliope to sit at the bar and knock back a few drinks.

However, today, she looked right pissed, about to blow a gasket.

"I'll take care of any customers that come in," Jackson offered.

Nodding, Mark put his hand on the small of Calliope's back and guided her towards his office. Closing the door, he smirked as he locked it. Reaching for his belt, he chuckled, "Can't go one day without Little Sloan can you?"

"Keep your pants up. That's not why I'm here."

Mark stepped closer, wrapping her in his embrace. Although they had a lot of fun together, he really did care for her. Cupping her face, he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "What's wrong darlin'?" he asked.

Looking up at him miserably, she whispered, "I'm gonna have a baby." Her sadness quickly turned to anger as she hit his shoulder. "You promised! You said you'd make sure that no babe would come from what we were doing. You're a no good, rotten liar!"

* * *

"Where have you been?" April asked, sweeping the floor. "I was about to send Sheriff Hunt looking for you. You were gone for almost four hours."

"Sorry 'bout that. Mark had something come up and I had to cover for him at the bar."

"Oh. Well, I was worried about you," April murmured, barely loud enough for Jackson to hear.

"So I had lots of time to think while I was tending the bar. I was thinking about how both our parents want to see us settled and how we both have less than desirable potential partners."

"Matthew's not that bad..." April protested weakly.

"But you don't feel anything for him?"

April mutely nodded.

"I came up with an idea. How about we get married to each other?"

Flustered, April dropped the broom and scurried to pick it back up. Walking over to her, Jackson captured her hand. "I know you think it's crazy April, but listen to what I'm thinking. We've known each other for years. I'd consider you a friend of sorts. I know you'd make a good wife 'cuz you can clean and cook. You could still work at the shop, if you wanted. The only difference is that you would live with me in my house."

"I...I don't know what to say. I don't understand why...?"

"I'm tired of my family harping at me to get married. Out of all the females in this town, you're the only one I wouldn't mind settling down with."

"As much as I am obliged, how do you know I feel the same about you?" April asked, a little miffed. This wasn't exactly the proposal that she'd dreamed about since she was a little girl. He hadn't even gotten down on one knee.

Jackson smirked, bending down to lower his lips against hers. "We'll just have to test that out and see, won't we?"

April gasped as she felt the gentle pressure of Jackson's lips against her own. When his tongue touched her lips, she opened her mouth allowing him further access. Moaning softly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

After a few more blissful moments, Jackson finally pulled back. "Just as I thought. We'll get on just peachy. What do you say? You gonna marry me?"

Struggling for air, April finally agreed, "O...okay."

* * *

"Good morning, I'm Derek Shepherd, the new doctor. I had telegraphed a week earlier to reserve a room. Is it available?"

Mark Sloan rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stared blankly at the man who had woken him at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning. "What? I don't recall getting a telegram from nobody. We open at noon. Come back then."

As the door slammed, Derek objected, "Hey! What am I going to to with all my luggage?"

Sighing, Derek walked defeatedly back to the wagon. "It doesn't look like I'll be able to get a room right now. Could you go ahead and take me to the clinic?" he asked Sheriff Hunt, the man who was in charge of picking him up from the train station and helping him settle into town.

"So how long has Gracewood Springs been without a doctor?" Derek asked the sheriff as they drove down Main Street.

"Well, we already have a doctor, but the mayor asked you to come to our town because the doctor we have is a bit...unconventional."

"Unconventional?" Derek questioned. "How so?"

"You'll have to meet the good doctor yourself to find out. Won't be long now."

They reached the clinic soon after. Jumping down, Derek dusted off his jacket. Turning to the sheriff, he said, "Thanks for the ride. I guess I will be seeing you around town."

Sheriff Hunt dropped Dr. Shepherd's trunks in front of the clinic. "I think I should go in with you on the off chance that things don't go so well."

"What wouldn't go so well?" Derek queried as he turned the knob. His question was answered when he was unexpectedly smacked in the head with some sort of blunt object. Before blacking out, he couldn't help but think that the people in this town weren't all that friendly.

* * *

"April, sweetheart, I see your boss coming down the road." Mrs. Kepner called. "I wonder why he's come to visit?"

Taking one last glimpse into the mirror April pinched her cheeks to give them some color. She breathed in deeply, willing her anxious heart to be calm. Last night, Jackson had told her he'd ask her pa for her hand today. She hadn't slept all night. It still amazed her how one day she was secretly pining for her boss and the next he was proposing marriage and kissing her senseless.

A rosy blush crept to April's cheeks at the memory of her very first kiss. His lips had possessed hers so quickly she hadn't had time to be nervous or scared. It was even better than she had imagined.

April rushed down the stairs to meet Jackson in the parlor. "Good morning, Reverend, Mrs. Kepner, may I speak with y'all for a moment?" she heard Jackson say.

This was it, she thought. She sent up a silent prayer that her pa would let her marry this wonderful man.

"Have a seat, son," her father said, as he motioned towards a chair. Looking at his daughter, he asked, "April, why don't you bring us some coffee and a couple of those muffins you made?"

"Yes, pa," April said.

As she poured coffee and placed the muffins on a dish, April couldn't help but wonder what was being said in the next room. Joe Kepner, farmer and pastor of the church in town, was seen by all as a fair and honest man, except when it came to his four daughters. All her sisters' suitors had practically quaked in their boots when they'd had to ask Joe for permission to marry one of his daughters. Oh, and it didn't help that Joe was one of the sharpest shooters in town. It wasn't uncommon for him to be cleaning one of his guns when his daughters' suitors came a callin'.

"I must say I'm flabbergasted, April. I had no idea that you and Jackson here were courtin'. I don't take to kindly to such things happening behind my back," Joe said in a slightly menacing tone as he took his cup of coffee from his daughter.

"Mr. Kepner. Sir. Nothing has been going on behind your back. Until yesterday, I just thought of her as my shopkeeper."

April inwardly winced at that statement for she had long thought of Jackson as someone very dear to her.

Joe Kepner's eyes slowly turned to bore into April's. "And what about Matthew Taylor?" he asked.

At a loss for words, April sputtered, "Um, well, you see...the thing is..."

"What about him? She doesn't care for him at all," Jackson bluntly stated. "She spends most of her time trying to avoid him."

"Is this true?" Mrs. Kepner asked. "Matthew's such a nice young man."

April finally managed enough courage to speak her mind. "Ma, Pa, I never liked him. I only was going with him because I thought it was something you wanted."

Joe Kepner stroked his beard, deep in contemplation. "You don't want to marry a man that's spent the last 8 months courtin' ya? You'd rather marry your boss instead?"

April nodded.

"Mr. Kepner, I promise I will take care of April. She won't want for anything. She'll have her own house to run, the finest clothes, and I'll even get her a horse and buggy too."

"Son, I know that you're more than capable of taking care of her financially. What worries me is whether or not you'll care for her emotionally. April's very...sensitive. She cries more than most women. That can wear on a man. You gonna be good to her then? Cuz if I ever hear that you put a hand to my little girl, you won't be alive in this world for long," Joe Kepner warned, his voice as cold as ice.

Jackson, offended, rasped, "Ain't gonna happen. I'd never hurt your daughter."

Joe stood up. "I can't convince you to marry that Taylor boy?"

April shook her head.

"Well, I'm none too happy about this, but you have my permission to marry my daughter."

April and Jackson smiled at each other from across the room.

"So, when's the blessed event gonna take place?" her pa asked.

* * *

"Mrs. Yang, I could have you arrested for assault with a deadly weapon," Sheriff Hunt admonished.

Cristina Yang stood holding a cold compress against Derek Shepherd's temple. Her cool composure belied the fact that mere minutes ago she had attacked him with a fireplace shovel.

"Yes, I would like to charge her with that," Derek said, taking hold of the compress and scooting further away from the woman.

"Mrs. Yang, do you have something you want to say?" prompted the sheriff.

"I am sorry for knocking you over the head," the woman said, obviously not the least bit apologetic. "You probably want to leave now. This town is full of kooks and nut jobs."

"Yeah and you're the biggest one I've met yet," Derek muttered under his breath.

"Mrs. Yang is generally more genteel," explained the sheriff. "It's just..."

"I don't take too kindly to people stealing my job," Mrs. Yang finished for him.

"How can I be stealing your job?" Derek protested. "I'm a doctor."

"So am I."

"You can't be. You're a woman."

"I have trained to be a doctor. Have you ever heard of a place called the New England Female Medical School?"

Derek snorted in derision. "That's where you attended? You must have learned how to be a really good midwife."

Putting his two cents in, the sheriff replied "Ain't no need to be insulting the lady, Dr. Shepherd."

"I think lady is rather a loose term for her."

"Whether you think I'm qualified or not, I'm still the doctor in this town."

"Then why did Mr. Edwards telegraph me and offer me a position as the town's doctor?"

"I don't know. I can't read minds."

"How long ago did you graduate?"

"About six months ago."

"I have been a doctor for over 10 years. My experience trumps yours. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll drop the charges if you will leave peacefully."

"Hey, I've got an idea," piped Sheriff Hunt. "How about you let her be your apprentice? She hasn't got much experience under her belt cuz most of the folks around here don't want to be seen by a female doctor, but I bet if you're around she'll get to treat more folks."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Derek said at the same time Cristina replied, "Over my dead body."

* * *

What in this cotton pickin' world was he gonna do? Mark thought as he rode over to the Torres' ranch. It had never crossed his mind that a consequence would come from all the rolls in the hay he'd had with Calliope. He wasn't ready to be anybody's pa.

Yesterday, nothing had been resolved. Calliope had just yelled and cried for hours. He braced himself for more of the same today.

Dismounting from his horse, he strode over to where Calliope was brushing one of the horses. Gently touching her arm, he whispered, "Where can we go to talk?"

They walked into the barn and climbed to the hay loft, a familiar spot of theirs - a likely place where their child had been conceived.

"So I've been thinking. We should probably get married." Mark told Calliope.

Calliope did a double take. "Excuse me? Us, get married? Were you drinking before you came here?"

"No, I was not. And besides it's the only logical solution to our problem."

Calliope stared at the man she'd been intimate with for the past year. She'd always thought of him as a good friend, a right handsome one, but that was all. She sure as heck didn't envision herself as his wife or mother of his child. Yet, both were fast becoming a reality.

"You're right. It is, but I still don't want to marry you."

Mark wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight. Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, "It wouldn't be so bad. I do love you, you know."

Pushing herself away from Mark, she replied, "Yeah, but I don't love you."

* * *

Miss Arizona Robbins waved goodbye to the last of the children as they left to go home. She had been the schoolteacher for the past eight years and she'd loved every moment of it. Arizona had always wanted to have children of her own, but her twenty-two students ranging in age from five to sixteen about made up for that longing. There was a time when she'd thought she could be wife and a mother, but that had quickly passed, just as the years had.

Taking a broom, she began to sweep the schoolhouse. Humming to herself as she slowly and methodically began to push the dirt and mess towards the door and outside. Just as she was about to sweep the last bit onto the porch, she emitted a small shriek.

"You ain't got nothing to worry about woman. It's not like you don't know me."

Setting the broom against the wall, Arizona smoothed the front of her dress. She did indeed know Alex Karev. He'd been a couple years behind her in school before he'd had to drop out to take care of his mother and siblings. He started working as a farm hand at her family's farm shortly after that. In fact, part of his job was driving her to and from school. Her house was only a mile away. Something that used to be an easy distance for her, but not since the accident.

"You gave me a fright that's all. You're early. I won't be ready for another hour. I have some grading to do."

Alex shifted on his feet from side to side. "I actually came early for a reason." Clearing his throat, he said, "I've been saving my wages. I'm thinking I've got enough to buy myself a place of my own. "

Arizona looked at him, waiting for him to finish. When it was clear that he'd need some prodding, she asked, "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No. Umm, you know when you buy land you gotta read and sign a contract?" Alex paused, looking down at the floor. "Well, I can't read good enough to understand what the contract says. And I ain't signing nothing unless I know what it says."

Comprehension slowly began to dawn on Arizona. She should have known. During school, the Karev children were lucky to have made it two or three times a week and never during planting or harvesting seasons. Once Alex had reached the age of twelve, he'd dropped out of school completely. He didn't know how to read and had come here to ask her for help.

"Don't give me that damn look of sympathy. Just cuz I ain't got your fancy learning doesn't make me stupid. I know the basics and it won't take me long to catch on to the rest. You gonna help me or what?"

Arizona's seldom seen temper flared. "As if anyone would feel sorry for a dirty scalawag such as yourself! The way you talk to people it's no wonder you don't have any friends in this town."

"Well, at least I ain't high and mighty and think I'm better than everyone in this town."

"At least my father wasn't the town drunk." As soon as Arizona said it, she knew she had gone too far. Mr. Karev had been a mean, vile man. As much as she disliked Alex he was nothing like his father.

"Yeah, at least I ain't a cripple that nobody wants to marry."

Tears pricked her eyes. He knew exactly where to hit so it hurt. Blinking her tears away, she yelled, "Get out!"

Looking ashamed of himself, Alex stalked outside and waited in the wagon until she was ready to go home.

* * *

Jackson reached down and took April's small hand in his own. They had survived their first family dinner. He smiled with relief. In just a few short weeks, he and April would be married. Then, at last, he could have some peace. His blue green orbs gazed down at his flame-haired fiancée. She would make a comfortable home for him. The woman could cook like no other. He grinned realizing that he'd have to do a few extra chores to keep off the weight that he'd gain from eating April's chocolate pecan pie, lemon bars, potato salad, hot rolls, ham. The list could go on and on. He was already salivating at the thought of her cooking.

There was something else that he was itchin' to sample. Ever since their kiss a couple days ago, he'd thought of little else.

Carrying her hand to his lips, he pressed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. A shiver ran through April and her big doe eyes met his own. The physical effect he had on her made his ego swell.

Through hooded eyes, he softly asked, "Do you think you'll want a lot of children?"

At April's blush, Jackson couldn't control a small smirk from gracing his lips. "Does it embarrass you to talk about this?"

April nodded. "A little, but yes, I do want children. Maybe...maybe five or so?"

Jackson rubbed his stubbled chin. "Hmm, that's quite a few. I bet we'll have a lot of fun making 'em though."

By now, April's face was as red as her hair. "It's not pr...proper to speak of such things Jackson. We're not married yet."

"You know what else I want to do that isn't proper?" April shook her head. "Kiss you."

This time as he kissed her it wasn't like the chaste kiss of last time. No, this time, he wanted to taste. He slowly coaxed her mouth open a little wider and slid his tongue inside. He groaned loud enough for April to hear. Oh, she was sweet. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and took her hand in his once more.

"Let's go back to the house. It must almost be time for your family to go home."

"Jackson?"

"Yes."

"I think I'm gonna like being married to you."

"Me too, honey. Me too."

* * *

"Here let me help you," Alex said, offering his hand to Miss Robbins as she slowly limped to the wagon. He'd been a real bastard to the one woman who could help him and he was at a loss on how to fix the situation.

"I'd prefer that you keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Karev," Arizona snapped.

"Miss Robbins, you and I both know there ain't no way you're gonna be able to climb in the wagon without my help. Now, I don't wanna get rough with ya, but I did promise your ma that I'd get you home by supper."

"Fine, but do it quickly."

Scooping her up, he gently placed her in the front of the wagon, next to him. She dusted off her skirt. Her back stiff, her head turned away from him. She refused to even look at him.

They were halfway home when Arizona suddenly spoke. "I'll help you, but only if you promise that once we're done you'll quit working at my pa's farm and I'll never have to speak to you again."

That wasn't quite the deal he had been hoping for, but he'd be a fool not to take it. "Deal," he said.

"Splendid," Arizona replied drolly. "We'll get started tomorrow."

* * *

"I'll have a scotch," Derek ordered.

The bartender didn't move. He kept moving the not so clean rag back and forth inside the glass. "I've got whiskey and I've got tequila," Mark replied.

"Seriously? You don't have it stashed somewhere for your more wealthy clientele? I'm willing to pay extra."

Mark kept drying glasses. "I've got whiskey and I've got tequila," he repeated.

Derek heard a husky, female voice behind him say, "If you've had a rough day, I'd go for the tequila."

Turning around, Derek laid eyes on a wheat haired beauty in a low cut gown. She must be one of the saloon girls, he thought as she took a seat next to him.

"I guess I'll have what the lady suggested," Derek told the bartender.

The woman was right. He'd had a very rough couple of days. Mrs. Yang wasn't making it easy for him to set up his practice. Today, they had finally come to a compromise with the help of Sheriff Hunt. They'd decided to split the work week. Today was one of his off days.

"You're obviously new in town and you're already drinking the hard stuff. What gives?"

Derek flashed a wan smile and threw back his shot of tequila. "Just not feeling very welcome is all."

Downing her own shot of tequila, the woman smiled and touched his arm. "How about you come upstairs and I'll give you a proper Gracewood Springs welcome?"

* * *

As April and Jackson approached the steps to his grandfather's house, they heard the unmistakable sound of shouting.

"Your daughter sure struck it rich when she sunk her claws into my grandson."

"Are you calling my daughter a gold digger?"

"If the shoe fits..."

"How dare you! You pompous...Like my daughter wants to marry into your harebrained family..."

"Hey! What's going on here?" Jackson asked as he rushed into the house.

"Nothing anymore. Karen, April, we're leaving! There's no way on God's green earth I'm gonna let you marry my daughter."

* * *

Cristina flew down the street, running in absolute desperation. She didn't know what to do. She had absolutely no clue. They had never covered this at her medical school. She knew how to deliver babies, stitch up cuts and scrapes, treat coughs and runny noses, and treat all sorts of other minor medical problems. But she'd never, NEVER, had to take a bullet out of a man before. Growing up in a small New England town, she'd never experienced lawlessness, until now.

A cattle rustler had stolen some cattle from the O'Malley ranch. Sheriff Hunt had gone to investigate and wound up getting himself shot. After shooting the sheriff in the shoulder, the criminal had tried to run off, but fortunately the O'Malley brothers tackled him down and helped Sheriff Hunt bring him to the jail. Only when he'd had the suspect taken care of, had he decided it might be a good idea to have a doctor look at it.

His exact words had been, "Mrs. Yang, my shoulder's hurting something bad. You think you can fix it." before he'd passed out from the pain.

Shaking off the irritation of being called Mrs. Yang despite her best efforts to get people to call her Dr. Yang. Cristina focused on what was more important - getting him help. Unfortunately the only one who could help her was Dr. Shepherd. Normally, she would try to figure out how to do things on her own, but when it came to Owen - she couldn't risk it. Stopping in front of the saloon, Cristina began to rap on the door.

* * *

Derek snuggled closer to the woman he'd spent the last night with. He breathed in her sweet scent. She smelled so darn good. He bent to nibble her neck, but was stopped in mid-air when he heard knocking at the door.

"Who's that?" the woman asked.

"No earthly idea. I don't know too many people in this town yet," Derek replied as he slipped on a pair of pants.

"You're getting to know me," she replied.

"That I am, madam. That I am," Derek grinned.

Opening the door, Derek was met with the disgruntled presence of Mark Sloan. "You've got a visitor downstairs. I'd have sent her up, but considering you've got company already I thought three would be a crowd. Or maybe you Eastern gents like that sort of thing," Mark intimated.

Ignoring the other man's suggestive remark, he asked, "Who is it?"

"That widow who thinks she's a doctor - Mrs. Yang, I think?"

"Tell her I'll be down in a minute."

"Tell her yourself. I'm going back to bed. You're lucky I even relayed this message to you, but there's something about that Yang woman - something scary. Really wouldn't want to cross her if you know what I mean."

Remembering her attack, Derek agreed, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Closing the door, Derek began to get dressed in earnest. He knew the only reason Mrs. Yang would come looking for him was if it was a medical emergency.

* * *

"Pa, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable?" April courageously asked the stern-looking man at the table.

Joe Kepner finished chewing his bite of bacon before replying, "No. I was never happy about the marriage in the first place. The complete arrogance of Harper Avery merely confirmed the fact that you shouldn't marry into that family."

"I don't understand. What did he say that made you so upset?"

Joe looked at his only unmarried daughter. The one he'd always taken a shine to. The one who was always trustworthy, always kind, always loving, always a hard worker. She deserved the best. And those Averys weren't it.

Getting up, he kissed his daughter's forehead. "They're not church going folk. They think they're better than everyone else just because they're as rich as Croesus. They ain't and never will be good enough for you. Now, I've got fields that I need to get to plowin'. Why don't you go see if your mama needs any help?"

"But Pa, I've gotta go to the store."

Her father interrupted, "Na uh, you're not working for that man. You're not seeing that man."

As her father left the kitchen, April's heart sank. Once her father set his mind a certain way, nothing and no one could ever change it. Tears eked out of the corner of her eyes at the thought of never getting to marry the man she loved.

* * *

"So what happened?" Derek asked the now awake sheriff as he cleaned his shoulder, prepping to take out the bullet.

Derek had found it helpful over the years to preoccupy the patient by getting them to talk. It helped them take their mind off of any impending pain. Lifting the forceps, Derek grabbed a hold of the bullet and slowly began to pull it out.

"That crook, Dwayne, and his crew have been rustling cattle for the last eight months. Someone had to put a stop...Ouch!" Hunt yelped.

Derek held up the bullet. "Here it is. Your shoulder's going to hurt for a while, but it doesn't look like the bullet hit anything vital. Mrs. Yang, you want to stitch him up?"

The woman had been oddly quiet throughout the whole process. Nodding, she walked over to the patient. He noticed her skill and technique as she worked. He had to admit she wasn't bad. Her stitches were almost perfect, not like he'd ever tell her that.

Ruffling his fingers through his hair, Derek asked before he had the chance to regret it, "I know tomorrow is your day off, but do you want to come in and help me with the blood transfusion I've set up for Mr. Teague?"

"I haven't done that before. I don't know how," Mrs. Yang admitted.

"Well, you have to learn some time. I will show you how to do it tomorrow."

"Alright," Cristina answered, giving him the slightest of smiles.

* * *

Arizona pointed to a letter on the chalkboard. "What's this letter?"

"It's an S. S for stupid. Like all of this is. I ain't some mush mouthed moron. I do know the alphabet," Alex retorted rudely.

Limping over to where he sat, Arizona bent and quietly asked, "Do you want my help or not?"

"I do, but I'd appreciate if you'd teach me about something I didn't know. This here's just a waste of my time."

"Right now. I need to figure out what you do and do not know so I can plan out what to teach you. If you have a problem with that, you are more than welcome to leave," Arizona suggested.

Alex put his hands up in surrender. "OK, OK, I'll do as you say boss lady."

* * *

Arizona was surprised. She found out that Alex knew more than she initially thought. He was at about the same level as most of the 9 year-olds in her class.

She'd found some books that he could practice reading at night that were close to his reading level. His level of motivation convinced her that it wouldn't take long to get him where he needed to be. Four months, six months tops. Then, he would be out of her hair and she'd never have to see him again.

While his words had stung the night before, what really bothered her were the looks of pity he had thrown at her over the years. Like she was broken, unfixable, unlovable and unwanted. That was how she already viewed herself. She was so tired of everyone's pity. What she really wanted was someone's understanding. Someone who gave her hope for a better future. Someone that loved her just the way she was.

* * *

"Calliope Iphegenia Torres, you get down here right this instant," called her mother, Lucia Torres.

"Mr. Sloan, why don't you take a seat?" Callie heard her father, Carlos Torres, say.

He didn't, he couldn't have, Callie thought as she raced down the steps. Callie had thought his ultimatum to either marry him or he'd tell her parents had just been an empty threat. Now, she was sure that it wasn't. Her mother and father's tone warned that Mark Sloan had let the cat out of the bag.

* * *

Jackson stepped into his grandfather's office at the bank. When his grandfather passed away, Jackson would always remember the look, feel and scent of Harper Avery's office. The rich mahogany furniture, the bear skin rug, the leather seats and the smell of cigar smoke. The eldest Avery spared no amount of money when it came to his own comfort and luxury.

Speaking of the devil, he was promptly scooting his secretary off his lap. The woman was a pleasant looking, plump widow in her late 30s. His grandfather's philandering ways were nothing new to him. It was well known that Harper Avery loved women of all shapes and sizes. His grandmother didn't seem to mind as long as she was kept in the finest dresses and gifted with a new necklace or ring every now and then. In fact, his grandfather was the one who had taken him to the saloon and paid for one of the girls to rid him of his virginity at the tender age of fifteen. Yep, his grandfather wasn't exactly the most moral of men. He had a feeling that might be part of the reason why April's father so strongly opposed the marriage.

"Jacky, good to see you, my boy. I was just having Belinda...um...help me find something."

If he'd been in a better mood, he would have just laughed and rolled his eyes like he usually did. But today, he was fit to be tied.

"What the hell was that last night?" Jackson asked his grandfather. "We were having a pleasant time. April and I go for a walk and when we come back the wedding is all of a sudden called off. And you're calling my fiancee a gold digger, which she isn't by the way."

Harper Avery shook his head. "I'm truly sorry 'bout saying that. That Miss Kepner of yours seems mighty sweet, but her family." Harper shook his head a second time and whistled. "Oooeee, do they got some big heads. Acting all sanctimonious and self-righteous. Like he's better than me. And who is Joe Kepner? A mere farmer with a side job as a two-bit preacher? I didn't invite him into my house for him to give me a sermon about the way I'm living. No sirree. Jacky, I know you wanted to marry her, but it's a good thing we found out about that family before you two got hitched. Imagine a lifetime with them? Church every Sunday, can't cuss, can't drink..."

"Can't cheat on your wife?" Jackson inserted.

Harper's face reddened slightly and he stood up. "You're my grandson and I love you, but my personal affairs ain't none of your business. Now, like I said, I'm sorry you don't get to marry that girl, but she ain't the only one in this town. How about Mayor Edwards' daughter, Stephanie?"

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I'd rather not." Turning towards the door to leave, he said, "Grandpa, this fight you've got going with the Kepners is ridiculous. It's not like I'd be marrying the Kepners. I'd be marrying April."

The older man shook his head. "That's what everyone thinks when they first get married. Believe me when I tell you that you dodged the biggest bullet by not marrying into that girl's cuckoo family."

* * *

"Mija, I can't believe you would do this. Bring such shame to our family," Carlos Torres reprimanded.

Her mother gently placed her hand on her husband's shoulder to calm him. Turning to her daughter, she interjected, "It's not the fact that you're with child that's upsetting us so much. Heaven knows, you're not the first and you're not going to be the last woman who finds herself expecting before marriage. Your father and I certainly have no room to judge you for that, but why in the world won't you marry him?"

"Porque ella esta loca y obstinada. I don't know where she gets it from," said her father. A side glance from his wife made it quite evident who she got it from.

"Mr. and Mrs. Torres, I didn't mean to start a fight between y'all. I just wanted your help in convincing Calliope to marry me."

"Oh, she will. Or she'll be no daughter of mine," Carlos replied.

"Papa, please. I don't want to be his wife. No lo amo."

"You don't love him?" This time it was her mother whose voice was raised. "Then, why in the world did you sleep with him?"

Calliope was starting to feel overwhelmed, pressured. Her stomach was still roiling with nausea. This was the last thing she needed right now. She just couldn't take it anymore. Tears began to fall down her face as she begged. "Mama, Papa, I don't know why I did it. I was just having some fun. I'd take it all back if I could. Please. Can't I just have my baby and raise him here? I don't...I don't ever want to get married."

The sight of their daughter in tears shocked both of the Torres. She hadn't cried since she was a toddler.

Carlos went over to his daughter and soothed her as she cried. Lucia looked hopelessly at Mark Sloan's downturned face. It was obvious to her that this man was in love with her daughter. Instead of the indignation she should feel towards the man who had made her daughter pregnant out of wedlock, she found herself only feeling pity. She knew that her daughter must have some feelings for this man. She wasn't buying that their relationship has just been a way for her to kill time. No, her daughter was passionate and caring underneath her sometimes crude mannerisms. Lucia would get to the bottom of this all in due time.

But for now, she said, "Calliope, sweetheart, you don't have to marry him if you don't want to."

* * *

Alex walked up to the main house from the bunkhouse where all the farm hands slept. He'd gotten through one of the books Miss Robbins had given him, but the second one was not so easy.

He hoped she was still awake, but most of the lights were off in the house and it looked like her family had already gone to bed. Walking up to her window, he stopped dead in his tracks. Miss Robbins sat brushing out her long, blonde locks, clothed in a pristine white night gown. His heart beat accelerated as he watched her. Lordy be, she looked almost angelic. He always saw her with her hair up and wearing somber grays, browns, and blacks, but she was a vision in white.

He'd never thought of her as beautiful, but from that moment on he'd never think of her as anything but. With a smile, he turned and walked back to his bunk.

* * *

"What's that?" Arizona asked, eyeing the parcel in Alex Karev's outstretched hand suspiciously.

"It's a surprise for ya," he answered.

Taking the parcel from him, Arizona slowly unwrapped it. A soft smile appeared on her face as she recognized the treat. "Chocolate truffles, they're my favorite. How did you know?"

Alex looked down as if his shoes were the most fascinating thing in the world. When he'd bought them at the store, he'd been pumped up on the excitement of buying her a present. Now that he was actually giving her the gift, he felt (and hated himself to the tips of his boots for it) a little shy and awkward. Damn, he'd never had a woman get him all twisted up in knots before, but over the past few weeks his mind could only seem to think about one Arizona Robbins.

"Um, I was asking around and the cook said that truffles were your favorite. You've been helpin' me and stuff. I wanted to get you something nice is all," Alex mumbled, shuffling his feet.

"Thank you. It's appreciated. You are catching on quite quickly. It won't be long until you're able to get that land that you wanted," Arizona praised him encouragingly.

"Thanks," replied Alex disheartened at the thought of Arizona wanting to get rid of him quickly.

"Well, we better get started," Arizona said as she made her way into the schoolhouse. "I have a book I think you're going to love."

* * *

Cristina heard a knock on the door. She was alone in the clinic even though she and Dr. Shepherd had come to a temporary reconciliation and had decided to treat patients together. Dr. Shepherd had found a house to purchase and had taken the morning off to finish the paperwork.

Opening the door, Cristina was surprised to see two saloon girls.. The one with dirty blonde hair was the primary reason the other woman was standing upright. The second woman was pale and obviously not feeling well.

"Is Dr. Shepherd here?" asked the first woman, eyes roving around the room.

"No, he won't be back until this afternoon, but I can take a look at your friend. What's ailing her?"

The woman looked unsure as to whether or not she should answer. Cristina mentally shook her head. Just another uneducated hick that didn't think that a woman could or should practice medicine. Cristina opened her mouth to make a wise crack when the saloon girl replied, "Sadie's has a fever and a headache for days. She's been complaining of a sore throat too and she's tired all of a sudden. And a while back she told me she had some sores in her...uh...nether regions, but they eventually went away. I think she might have the syphilis."

Cristina nodded in agreement, impressed with the other woman's assessment of her friend's situation. "Sounds about right. I'll take a look. If that's what it is, I can give her some potassium iodide and it will hopefully clear it up."

The other woman sighed in relief. Sticking out her hand, she said "I'm Meredith by the way."

"Cristina."

* * *

"We parted soon after; for I made him little answer, and I saw him no more; which way he went I knew not. As for me, having some money in my pocket, I travelled to London by land; and there, as well as on the road, had many struggles with myself what course of life I should take, and whether I should go home or to sea."

Arizona listened as Alex finished reading aloud the first chapter of Robinson Crusoe. She was savoring the sweet taste of the truffle and the sweetness of the man who had bought them for her. This was the first gift from a man she had ever been given. Not like he thought of her in a romantic way or anything with her bad leg and all. She wasn't exactly a raving beauty and she was fast approaching thirty.

Alex Karev wasn't what one would label as classically handsome. No, his appeal with the ladies (she used that term very loosely) was his slightly dangerous persona. His aloofness and devil may care attitude seemed to drive all the farmers' and tradesmen's daughters in a tizzy. They seemed to lack any form of self respect the way that they threw themselves at him.

She would never do that. He was starting to grow on her and all, but it wasn't like he was her dream man. He was on the shorter side, had an attitude, slept with any floozy within a ten-mile radius, and... Arizona suddenly couldn't remember anything else. Alex had finished reading and was staring intently into her eyes. Good heavens, he did have powerful, soul-searching eyes. She could hear the pitter patter of her overexcited heart.

Alex cleared his throat. "So I was a...I was a wondering if maybe, you know if you wanted, maybe you'd like to come to the Webber's barn dance with me?"

Arizona's face flushed beet red. "You're asking me to the dance?"

Alex nodded, adding a lopsided grin. "Uh-huh"

"But I can't dance...my leg," Arizona gestured helplessly, tearing up. Oh, how badly she wanted to go.

"I bet you can...We'll just dance nice and slow."

* * *

Cristina hummed as she cleaned her work area. She'd finally met another woman she could have an intelligent conversation with, a rarity considering the small-mindedness of most of the women in this town. Even though Meredith was basically a prostitute, Cristina really felt like she'd met someone worth knowing.

Another knock on the door interrupted Cristina's thoughts. She was seldom this busy when she worked alone. Opening the door, she was met with the piercing blue eyes of Sheriff Owen Hunt. She was a strong woman, an independent woman who had been on her own for years, but for whatever reason when the Sheriff came by she transformed into a lovesick schoolgirl.

She'd never felt this way before not even during her short marriage to Preston. It had been arranged by both of their families and while she hadn't disliked him she hadn't really had any deep feelings for him. In fact, she'd felt so little for him that after the appropriate mourning time had passed she'd returned to using her maiden name.

But when Owen Hunt was around her brain seemed to cease functioning. She had even giggled once at one of his corny jokes. Cristina Yang did not giggle especially at things that she did not find even remotely funny. Yet he had that affect on her. Willing her mind and mouth to cooperate, she asked, "Can I help you Sheriff?"

Taking off his hat, Owen smiled, "Mind if I come in, Mrs. Yang?"

"Sure, did you need me to look at your shoulder? How's it feeling?"

"Good, good," he nodded. Rubbing his hand across his chin, he said, "Look, I didn't come for medical advice. I was...um...I came to ask if you wanted to go that barn dance at the Webber's place with me?"

Cristina was floored. This man who she had taken a liking to over the past few months was wanting to take her? To a dance?

Filling up the awkward silence, Owen continued, "Thought I'd pick you up tomorrow night 'bout six?"

Use your words woman, Cristina told herself as she desperately tried to find a way to answer his question.

"I know this all of a sudden, but I've noticed ya since the first day you moved to town. You're right pretty. Probably smarter than me. Strong and feisty. I just thought maybe you'd like for us to get to know each other better."

Cristina finally breathlessly answered, "Yes, yes. I would like that very much. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow around six."

Grinning from ear to ear, Owen slapped his hat back on his head. "Lookin' forward to it ma'am," he said as he walked out the door.

* * *

Jackson struggled to slow his breathing. He smiled at his wife's soft purr of contentment. He'd done good. Looking over at the woman lying next to him, he smiled, "Holy cow, Mrs. Avery, I didn't know you had that in you."

April blushed. "It's not very ladylike to enjoy this so much, is it?"

April bit her lip, knowing the answer to her own question. Ladies didn't talk much about this aspect of marriage, but when they did it didn't sound so very exciting. "I pray that it will end soon" or "I make a mental list of chores that need to be done" or "I think about the pretty frocks I saw in the store window." These were the types of comments she usually heard regarding the marriage bed. None of those thoughts had passed through her mind during the last couple of hours. No, her thoughts had been "He's so handsome. I can't believe I'm married to him," "I can't seem to keep my hands off him," "He's driving me crazy with his hands and mouth", "Faster, faster, faster" (well, maybe that had been said rather than thought) and then all form of thought had left her completely, leaving her only in a frenzy of feeling.

"No one would ever question whether you're a lady or not. Besides, it does things to a man to know his wife's getting satisfaction from what he's doing," Jackson murmured as he leaned in for another kiss.

Outside, a rooster crowed. Startled, April sat up quickly. Clutching the sheet to herself, she slowly began to make her way out of bed. "I can't believe it's already so late. I've got to go."

Jackson groaned and pulled her back into bed. "Do you have to leave so soon? I just wanna hold you a little longer."

April shook her head. "Sun's coming up soon. I need to be home before anyone wakes. If my pa finds out we eloped, he might just very well shoot the both of us."

* * *

Alex stepped into the Gracewood Springs General Store. He was in a rush because he needed to get ready for the dance. His eyes roved across the shelves searching for a can of pomade. He wanted to look his best on his first public outing with Arizona. After he found what he was looking for, he noticed some hair ribbons in the corner and wondered whether or not he should buy one for his date.

While he was rummaging through the ribbons, he heard a female voice say, "Excuse me, sir. I hate to bother you, but do you think you could help me? I need to get these bags of flour out to my wagon. The shop girl doesn't look strong enough to carry them out there."

Alex looked the woman up and down. He had to keep himself from whistling. Damn, but she was gorgeous. She was like a tall glass of water, what with her blonde hair trailing down her back and all.

"I'm Isobel Stevens by the way, but most everybody calls me Izzie. I just moved into town. What's your name?"

"Uh, Alex Karev. Where's your wagon?" he said as he picked up the bags.

"Nice to meet you, Alex. Follow me. It's parked just outside the store."

As Alex followed her outside, he couldn't help but eye the slow sashay of her hips. He put the bags in her wagon and turned back to make his way into the store.

"Thanks for your help. Maybe I'll see you around town some time?" Izzie smiled confidently at him.

Feeling a little guilty about his overt ogling, he nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

* * *

"Big foot up, little foot down,

Grab your own and swing 'em round.

Bow to your partner and the corner miss,

To the opposite lady just blow a kiss."

Owen gazed down at his partner. He still couldn't believe she'd said yes. She had more spirit than any other woman he'd met and he felt honored that she'd stood up with him.

He remembered when she first came, all hellbent on getting the townsfolk to take her seriously as a doctor. He'd felt bad for her initially but he'd quickly realized she could hold her own. It was clear that medicine was her passion. Other than that, Owen didn't know much about her. Only that she was a widow without kids.

"Tell me something I don't know about you," Owen said as the sweet sound of a fiddle introduced the slow dance.

"Hmm," Cristina replied, crinkling her nose. "I can't cook. That's why I live at the boarding house instead of my own place. I have to have someone else cook for me or I'd starve. Now, you tell me something."

Owen took this opportunity to pull her in a little closer. "I'm fairly new to this town too. I fought in the war between the states. When I came back home, there was nothing left to come back to. So I decided to pack what little I had and move out west."

"I'm glad you did," murmured Cristina. "Hey, do you want to go for a walk by the Webber's pond?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Owen said as he took Cristina's small hand in his own and led her off the dance floor.

* * *

April stood tapping her feet to the beat. Her whole family had come to the dance - mother, father, sisters, brothers-in-law, grandma and grandpa. She had hoped she might be able to sneak away and meet up with Jackson, but it didn't look like she'd get her chance. Not with her grandma deciding to talk her ear off.

"Back in my day this place wasn't owned by the Webbers. The young folk would go down to the pond and fish on Sunday afternoons. We'd lay out a blanket and have a picnic lunch of fried chicken and biscuits. You know who made the best biscuits?"

April shook her head no.

"My mama. She could cook like nobody's business. Those biscuits would melt like butter in your mouth. You're not too bad of a cook yourself, April dear."

"Thank you, grandma."

"Now, honey, I know that you're all upset cuz you didn't get to marry your young man but believe me it's better that you didn't."

April wasn't paying much attention. Her eyes were instead glued to a certain blue eyed man across the room. Jealousy rushed through her veins as she watched her husband dance with the mayor's daughter. How she wished she could be the one dancing with him. One of these days they'd get up the courage to tell their families that they'd eloped, but today wouldn't be that day.

"That Harper Avery," Grandma Kepner shook her head in disapproval. "He didn't start off so bad. I bet you didn't know that he and I were sweet on each other when we were younguns?"

"No, I didn't know that," April said absentmindedly. Jackson and Stephanie had switched from the fast pace square dancing to a slow dance. Her hands were wrapped around his neck and she was as close to him as propriety would allow. April gritted her teeth, willing the other woman to keep her filthy paws off her man.

"...I felt so bad about what I did. I feel like I played a role in making him the way he is today."

"Wait. What happened grandma? I didn't catch that last part."

"I said I stood Harper Avery up on our wedding day and ran off with your grandfather instead."

April snapped her head around. "You were engaged? To Harper Avery?" At her grandmother's nod, she sighed. "How did I not know this? No wonder our families hate each other!"

* * *

"Calliope Torres, don't you dare turn and hide like a yellow-bellied coward," Mark Sloan warned, crossing the distance and pulling her somewhat unwilling body into a stall.

Shutting the door so their four footed companion wouldn't escape, Mark spun quickly on his heel to glare at Calliope. "What was that the other day? You don't want to get married. Fine. But you didn't have to treat me like I was some kind of leper."

Callie stood up to her full height. Pushing her chin up, she glared at him. "I ain't gonna get married. Ever. No man is ever gonna be the boss of me. Especially not one that drops his drawers for any and every doe-eyed lass that walks by."

Mark shook his head in disbelief. "That whole crying jag was all an act, wasn't it? All for the benefit of your parents." He slowly clapped his hands. "Well done, Torres. Well done."

Calliope felt a pang of guilt at his accusation. It still didn't change her mind. "So what if it was? I'm smart enough to know that females that cry usually get their way."

"Yeah, well not this time."

"Go ahead and tattle on me again. That's real mature of you."

Mark lurched towards her, scaring her with his intensity. "I'm the only mature one here. I'm trying to provide a home for you and our young'un, but for whatever silly reason you won't let me. My kid deserves a family that loves him."

Calliope's hackles rose. How dare he? Just because she didn't want to marry him didn't mean that she didn't love her baby. Her hand covered the faint swell of her stomach. "My baby is loved. Very much."

Her breath caught as she watched Mark's eyes soften as she spoke. He was so handsome, she allowed herself to think dreamily for a moment. No, she told herself. That's what had gotten her in this mess in the first place. Her inability to resist his gorgeousness.

"Come on, Calliope, marry me," he murmured, sticking his index fingers in her belt loops and tugging her hips closer to his.

"Not gonna happen. Not even if you rat on me to my pa."

"Marry me," he repeated.

"No," she said, feeling her resistance slightly crumbling.

"Marry me," he whispered before running his tongue against the seam of her lips and being eagerly received inside.

* * *

Arizona felt a light tap on her shoulder. She smiled at the man who brought her a drink. Taking a sip, she grimaced. "I think somebody slipped something into this punch."

"It was me," Alex admitted. "It didn't seem strong enough. I could get you another drink if you'd like."

Setting down the glass, she shook her head. "The band's playing a slow song. Maybe we could...?" she started, too nervous to fully ask him what was on her mind.

"Yeah, this would be a good song." Holding out his arm, Alex asked, "May I have this dance?"

It had been almost ten years since she had last danced. She'd been a girl of nineteen. It had been at a dance like this one, before she went out East, before her accident. There'd been a boy. They were sweet on each other, dancing close and gazing into each other's eyes all night long. He'd made a promise that night of them being together forever. A promise that was never kept.

Staring at Alex as they swayed slowly to the music, Arizona felt a renewed hope for a future, of marriage, of children. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about what it would be like to be married to Alex or what their children would like. She'd like two of each, two boys and two girls.

Alex flashed a quick grin at her. "You sure look pretty tonight. Blue suits you. Brings out the color in your eyes."

Arizona blushed, her eyes meeting the floor before going up and returning to his. "You look very nice tonight too." And he did, she'd noticed the snug fit of his jeans as he'd walked off to get their punch earlier.

Alex stepped back and gave Arizona a little spin. As she twirled back to face him, her bad leg faltered and she began to wobble Alex's arm shot out, catching her and pulling her up tight against his chest.

"It's OK. I've got ya," Alex reassured her.

* * *

Cristina smiled as Owen brought her their cups. She was having a wonderful time with him. She hadn't even thought about work once tonight. Maybe that was a lie, but her thoughts of sewing up and cutting into her patients were far less than usual.

Owen sat down on the blanket she had put down on the grass next to the pond. Taking a sip, she chuckled, "Somebody spiked this punch."

Owen took a swig of his own cup and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Want me to go get you a different drink?"

"No, but I might ask you to get me more of the same in a little while."

Cristina shivered as a cold wind passed, tousling through her hair. A sigh escaped as she felt the warm arms of the sheriff pulling her into his embrace. She slid her hands around his back and breathed in the earthy scent of him. Owen's thumb softly caressed her chin, tilting her head. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs as his lips met her own.

* * *

Jackson sat down next to his grandfather. "I'm not dancing with her again," he told him. He'd been forced to dance with Stephanie Edwards for half the night. He didn't even know why he was still here. All he wanted was to sneak off and be with his wife. To keep up appearances, April had gotten up and danced with a few of the local farm boys and was now dancing with that insufferable prat, Matthew Taylor.

Harper Avery finished chewing his food and replied, "That's alright. It's just for show anyway."

"I'm not marrying her."

"Still sweet on that Kepner girl? You'll get over it. Visit the girls at the saloon. They'll help ya," his grandfather advised.

Ignoring his grandfather's advice, Jackson glared across the room at the man dancing with his wife. "I sure wish he would stop pawing at her."

Harper chuckled, "You're more attached to her than I realized. It's best to stay away from those Kepner women. You're only in for a world of hurt."

Jackson glanced at his grandfather through his right eye. "Grandpa, don't be silly. April's never done anything to hurt me and she never would. Her family and my family are the only people hurting us."

"I'm not gonna lie. I might have picked a fight with her family to keep you away from that girl. I just don't want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you."

"What happened to you?"

"You know your girl's grandma? Emma Kepner? Well, she used to be my girl before she done run off with another man. We were set to get married and everything. I waited patiently until our wedding, like she wanted. I didn't even look at another woman. I did all that only to have my fiancee marry another man on my wedding day."

Jackson looked at his grandfather as understanding set in. So many questions were answered by this bit of information. Why his grandfather didn't seem to care about his grandmother, why he slept around with other women, and most importantly, why he was keeping his grandson from happiness.

* * *

As Calliope walked towards the buffet table, she felt as though a million eyes were on her. She heard faint whispers as she passed. It was probably just the old biddies who had a problem with the fact that she didn't wear dresses like the other ladies. Although that might have to change soon, she thought with distaste. Her expanding stomach wouldn't easily fit into her jeans.

Her stomach rumbled at the sight of all the delicious foods. She loaded her plate with brisket, potato salad, three rolls, green beans, cole slaw, corn on the cob, and two slices of pie. The baby was already effecting how much she ate, growing big and strong in her belly. The reality of birth didn't escape her. The logistics of it absolutely terrified her. Mark was a big man. His baby would most likely be big too. How her child was going to get out of her without ripping her in half, she had no clue.

"Goodness me! That's a big ol' plate. You must be starvin'" giggled Sally Mae Wilson with her two bosom buddies Bertha and Beatrice.

"Yeah, I am," replied Calliope, ignoring the other women and scanning the room for her parents.

"A little birdie has been saying that you're having a baby. Now surely, that can't be true? A respectable lady like you from a good family, expecting out of wedlock?"

Calliope resisted the urge to smack the other women as they giggled again. She sighed. No point in denying the truth. Townsfolk would find out soon enough.

"Maybe you are expecting and the man ran off scared? It must be easier to recognize that you're a woman in the dark. You really should work on making your appearance look more...what's the word...feminine. You just might be able to find a pa for your baby."

Tears of anger pricked her eyes. Sally Mae and her witchy friends had teased Calliope about her clothes and her boyish ways ever since she could remember. She was tired and fed up with it.

"You're right. I am having a baby. The weddin' is two weeks from today. Spread the word for me, won't ya? Mark and I want everyone to attend."

Little O's of surprised appeared on the three women's faces. Calliope laughed silently to herself. That had shut them up. She turned to see Mark standing behind her, a satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

* * *

Derek gently bathed Meredith's neck. His lips following the wet trail the wash cloth had left. He leaned his back against the tub and smiled. After a long day at work, it felt amazing to relax and soak in a bath with the woman he was falling in love with.

"How was your day?" Meredith asked. "Get to cut anyone open?"

"It was extremely busy and no, no surgeries today. I stitched up two kids, set a broken arm, gave a breathing treatment, and delivered a baby."

"You were busy. Cristina had the day off, didn't she?"

"Yes. She was sorely missed today. I could have used another pair of hands."

"I like her. We get each other. She's not like all the other ladies in town. She doesn't look down on me for what I do."

Derek sat up straighter, gently jostling Meredith. Wrapping his arms around her middle, he rested his chin against her shoulder. "You know I've been thinking. Now that I have a place of my own I'd sure like to have someone to share it with. What would you say if I asked you to move in with me?"

Meredith turned her head to look at him. "Really? Are you serious?" she asked.

Derek nodded. "Yes, I am. It would be nice to have someone to come home to every night. Not to mention you wouldn't have to keep working at the saloon."

"I wouldn't mind that. But what would I do all day? I don't have a hankering to be your maid and cook."

"I've already hired someone to do that for me. Hmmm...Wait I know. You could help us out at the clinic. We could train you to be a nurse."

A smile spread across Meredith's face. "That sounds nice," she said, as she snuggled deeper into his arms. "My answer's yes. To both questions."

* * *

"Oh, this is such lovely fabric! I could make the prettiest dress out of it. Look! It's even on sale," Izzie said.

"Nope. We ain't got that kind of money," the very tall, very large man standing next to her replied.

"Charles," she whined. "I never have anything nice. Don't you want your wife to look good."

Her husband snorted. "I don't really care how you look darling, but I do care that my animals are fed and the fields have something to grow."

"It's always about the farm isn't it? I'm always going to be second place to your stupid farm!"

"Yeah, well that stupid farm keeps food in your belly doesn't it? No point wasting your time mooning over things you're never gonna have. I'm going to pay for our stuff, then we'll head back home."

Angry tears formed in the corners of Izzie's eyes. She hissed croakily, "I'm going to wait for you in the wagon."

Izzie hurried out of the store, tears already leaking out of her eyes. She and Charles had been married for almost three years and had been fighting for almost as long. She was starting to forget why she had married him in the first place. Had she ever loved him? Had he ever loved her? All she knew was that she was tired of being so miserable.

Not watching where she was going, she accidentally bumped into someone on the street. Looking up, Izzie saw the man who had helped her load her wagon a couple weeks before. What was his name? Alan? Albert?

"Hey, Izzie isn't it? Are you alright?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she brushed away her tears. "I'm just upset over something silly."

Taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, the man handed it to her. "Here, take this."

"Thanks. I'm sorry, but what's your name again?"

"Alex. Alex Karev."

"Thank you Alex. You're too kind."

At that moment, her husband exited the store, a bag of feed slung over his shoulder. He plopped it into the back of the wagon and said, "Come on, Iz, let's go."

"Charles, this is Alex Karev. Mr. Karev, this is my husband, Charles Percy," she said.

A look of shock flashed across Alex's face as if he hadn't realized she was a married woman. He nodded at the other man and motioned for her to keep the handkerchief she attempted to return to him.

As the wagon headed towards home, she couldn't help but look wistfully back at the man who'd shown her the most kindness she'd received in ages.

* * *

Arizona's heart dropped when she caught sight of Alex with the gorgeous blonde woman. It sunk even further as she watched him hand his handkerchief to the woman. Not able to stand the sight anymore, she turned and limped quickly back inside the schoolhouse.

She shouldn't be surprised. Alex was an attractive man. He had certainly caught the eye of many a woman in Gracewood Springs. Why shouldn't he catch the eye of the blonde? She guessed what hurt her was that he seemed to have returned the attraction. Why else would he be talking to her?

Footsteps approached as she tried to concentrate on grading papers. Glancing up, she saw Alex standing in front of her.

"Hey," he said, a half grin on his face.

"Good afternoon," she replied sharply.

Alex wrinkled his brow and gave her a questioning look. Moving closer to her, he asked, "Arizona, what stick's up your craw now?"

Turning away from him too quickly, Arizona lost her balance. Alex's right arm shot out and caught her, steadying her. He pulled her so that her back touched his chest. Her breathing came in uneven bursts when she felt his stubbled chin against her neck. She felt his hot breath against her ear, effectively melting her insides. But no, she told herself she wouldn't be this easily swayed from her anger. This time she took more care in distancing herself from him and primly sat in her chair as her angry gaze rested upon him.

"Nothing's "up my craw" as you so delightfully put. I just don't feel like tutoring you today. Why don't you wait outside until I'm ready to leave? Or better yet why don't you go find that blonde you have taken a shining to and flirt with her some more?"

A slight snarl came across Alex's face. "Is this why you're mad at me? Fine. Be mad. And she's married just so you know."

And with that, Alex stormed out. Leaving Arizona to burst into tears.

* * *

Mark Sloan slipped on his finest jacket over his vest. Looking at himself in the mirror, he nodded his approval.

His friend Jackson entered the room, patted his chest, and said, "Ring's in my pocket. The guests are being seated. It's almost show time. You ready?"

"Yep. I can...I can do this," he gulped. "Can't I?"

"Hey man, don't freak out. Marriage is not all that bad."

"What would you know? You're not the one getting married."

"Yeah, you're right," Jackson replied in an odd tone. "But you're going to have a baby with Calliope so you can't really turn back now. Man up."

Mark's heart pumped double time. He couldn't turn back. It was too late. They were going to be married til death do them part. His life was never going to be the same.

Heck, in the past two weeks, it had changed. He still owned the saloon but he'd moved out and found a place on the edge of town for him and Calliope and the baby.

There was another knock at the door. They heard the preacher's wife say, "Time for the groom and the best man to head over to the front of the church. It's almost time to start."

"You going to be OK man?" Jackson asked.

Mark nodded, trying to convince himself that he was.

* * *

She was so darn beautiful Mark thought as he watched his bride walk down the aisle. All his worries and doubts immediately left at the sight of Calliope. She wore a blue gown probably because of that old adage "Marry in blue. Your sweetheart will always be true." Blazes, did she look lovely. Her shiny, black hair fell in ringlets down her back. Although still slender, her stomach had a slight swell from where his baby lay. Mark had never seen her look so gorgeous. His heart swelled with pride whilst looking at her.

The ceremony passed a blur. He was on auto pilot as they said their I dos and vows. He woke from his trance to place a kiss that lasted a little longer and with a little more tongue than polite society allowed. The shocked gasps didn't faze him, but after a time Calliope's soft hand pushed against his chest and her lips broke away from his own.

The preacher man cleared his throat before saying, "Everyone welcome the new married couple. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Sloan!"

He'd done it. He'd gotten hitched and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

Behind the back of the barn, Jackson held April in his arms. It had been a long three days since he'd last been with her. If only they could be alone, he could do more than just kiss her.

After a few minutes, April pulled away from Jackson's kiss. "They'll start looking for us if we don't come back to the reception soon."

Jackson groaned, pulling her back into his arms."I don't really care if they do. Let 'em find us."

He honestly didn't. He was tired of sneaking around and hiding their relationship. At first, they'd only been lying to a few people but now the lie kept spreading to more and more people. In fact, he'd had to lie to Mark just hours before. What he wanted more than anything was to wake up next to her every morning. Jackson was tired of being away from his wife. He no longer cared what her family or his family thought. Hell, he'd risk Joe Kepner's wrath. The man was a preacher. He couldn't very well kill Jackson and then go back to the pulpit the next day. No, there would be consequences of course, but none that he wouldn't face to be able to be with his wife every day.

April stepped away from him again. "I do. My dad's anger hasn't cooled yet. I'm afraid he might hurt you."

"Alright, I'll let you go," he agreed reluctantly. "Do you want to meet up later after everyone's gone to bed? I've missed you the last couple of nights."

"I can't Jackson. I promised Reed I'd spend the night over at her place. Plus I've been feeling kind of sick the past few days. I wouldn't want you to catch what I have."

"Are you sure? We wouldn't have to do anything if you didn't feel up to it. Besides I've already kissed you so I've already got what you have. There'd be no more risk."

"No, I need to spend some time with my friend. We'll try to get together in a couple of days," April said, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The memory of April's soft smile as she skipped off would have to keep him warm tonight.

* * *

"April, wake up, sleepy head. My mom needs some help making breakfast."

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, April looked up to see her oldest and closest friend, Reed Adamson, peering down at her. Quickly sitting up, she regretted her choice almost instantaneously. Scrambling towards the chamber pot, she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach.

"April! Are you OK?" Reed asked, rushing towards her.

Waving her friend away, she pressed her head against the cool ceramic pot. "I'm fine. I must have gotten some bug that's been going around."

Sitting next to her friend on the ground, Reed gently rubbed her friend's back. "April, how long have you had this bug?"

"I don't know, about a week. I sure hope it passes quickly. I've been feeling queasy all day long every day. I can hardly eat anything, and I feel tired all the time."

"Oh, April. You're not? You couldn't be?" Reed gasped.

April stared dumbfounded at her friend. "What in the world are you talking 'bout?"

"When's the last time you had your monthly visitor?"

April calculated in her head. Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "Oh, no. I can't be," April squeaked, panicked.

"Who was it that did this to you? Your pa won't let him get away it."

Horror followed closely after panic. "Oh lands, my pa! My pa is going to kill him. He will shoot him dead."

"Yeah, and he'll deserve it. Taking advantage of you like that."

"He didn't...he would never. It was my idea."

It was Reed's turn to be shocked. "Your idea?"

"He wanted to wait until everyone knew that we got married, but he was standing there, looking so dang handsome, and I just couldn't control myself. I jumped him."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. You're married? To who?"

April blushed and covered her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that. Please don't tell anyone," April begged.

"I won't, but it's Jackson isn't it?" Reed guessed.

April nodded miserably. "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to talk to your little one's pa first. Then, you should probably talk to your own."

* * *

Calliope moaned softly, enjoying the sensation of Mark's stubble rubbing across her shoulder. As of this morning, her reservations about getting married had drifted far, far away. If she had known that she would get to wake up next to the handsomest man in town pressing kisses on her shoulder, she wouldn't have waited so long. She had always enjoyed her and Mark's amorous congress, but a slow loving was so much better than their rushed and frantic tiffs of the past. Last night had definitely been eye opening. She'd never fathomed there were so many positions and ways to explore each other.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sloan," her husband growled, taking a playful nip at her neck.

"That it is, Mr. Sloan. That it is," Calliope replied, craning her neck so she could kiss him on the mouth.

Slowly, Mark's hand drifted southward, settling on her belly. "Has our little cowpoke kicked yet?"

She shook her head. "No. Mama says it's too soon for that. Mark, you don't think what we did last night would harm our young'un do you?"

"I don't think so, but I really don't know for sure. You could ask that new doc. Shepherd, I think is his name."

"I couldn't ask him about something so private. Ain't none of his business."

"Well, if you're too embarrassed, I'll ask for ya."

"Mark Sloan, don't you dare! The last thing I need is for all the local biddies to be gossipin' about me."

Mark tickled her side. "They're already talkin' about you. They're jealous of what a handsome man you married. They was watching how I kissed ya in church yesterday. They likely want some of that for themselves."

Calliope's hand slapped his gut. "I better not ever catch you laying one on another girl. So help me, it will be the last thing you do."

"I've got a beautiful, sweet lovin' wife. What do I need to go foolin' round with some other gal for? I've got everything I could possibly want in my arms."

* * *

Cristina lay on her back, breathing heavily and gulping air. "That was...that was amazing. One more...one more time," she requested, breathlessly.

Owen's eyes became clouded with desire as he slowly made his way back over her and began to kiss her feverishly. Thirty minutes later, Cristina watched as he lay sleeping. The last few hours must have worn him out. Her hand gently caressed his chest.

All of this was so new to her. She had never been in love before. Although they had a rocky start this evening, she soon discovered that she actually liked sex. The infrequent occassions she'd had sex with Burke had been less than impressive. Most of the time, she was bored and had her eyes glued to the clock counting down the minutes until he finished. Burke hadn't been a bad man. She'd admired his intellect, but he'd never had an emotional hold on her. That's why she had initially been attracted to him. She didn't want to be bothered by having feelings for a man. That would keep her from achieving her goals.

But, this sheriff had thrown a wrench in all that. Much to her dismay, she found herself very much in love with him, and since tonight was the first time she had ever enjoyed sex, there was no way she would be able to give him up now.

Eventually Cristina drifted off to sleep, but awoke with a start when Mrs. Calhoun, the woman she rented a room from, knocked on the door. "Mrs. Yang?" the woman called. "It's almost six thirty. Breakfast will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"Uh, thank you, ma'am. I'll be down soon," Cristina called back.

Jabbing Owen in the side, she covered his mouth when he let out a loud curse of pain.

"Shh, be quiet. You need to leave. Mrs. Calhoun's waking everybody up." Clutching the sheet to her body, she walked over to the window. "There's a tree you can climb down. If you hurry, no one will even see you at all."

As she turned, she caught Owen hitching up his pants and buckling his belt. He shot her a cocky grin. "I thought I was supposed to leave right after. You told me I couldn't spend the night."

"Just be lucky that you got to and get out," she whispered hurriedly.

"I was lucky alright. Goodbye, ma'am," he said as he paused at the window. "I certainly do 'preciate you lettin' me roll around with ya."

"Yes, yes, you're welcome," she replied, leaning in for one more kiss as he grabbed onto the tree. "Come back tonight. I'll leave the window open."

"You know if ya married me. We wouldn't have to go sneakin' round like this."

Cristina rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. Now, go."

* * *

"I thought you didn't cook," Derek murmured into Meredith's ear as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, it is a special occasion. It's our first morning together."

"Yeah, it is pretty special," he agreed, kissing her neck. "I love waking up next to you. Are you ready for your first day as a nurse?"

"I am."

"I hope you don't get queasy easily. You might see some blood."

Meredith waved her hand. "That's nothing. One time a poker game went bad and Johnny Miller shot Harvey Smith in the gut. I was the one who applied pressure to his wound until the doctor came 'round. I kept my hand steady for almost two hours."

"Hopefully, no gun shot wounds today. I'm going to see Mrs. Jones for her arthritis and little Timmy Haverton has a bad case of the hives. Everyone else will just be drop ins. Usually run of the mill stuff. Maybe a broken limb or two. Sometimes a saw or an axe wound."

Meredith smiled. "Ready for all of it. The older I get the less things shock me."

"I'm going to draw some water so we can wash up before we head out to the clinic. Thanks for making breakfast. It was delicious." he said before he walked out the back door.

Meredith hummed happily to herself as she washed the dishes. She'd been content at Mark's saloon, helping him out with the financial side of things so she didn't need to whore herself out as much, when Derek had come along. She'd never imagined herself in this position three months ago, but here she was, keeping house with a handsome, charming, educated doctor. It was like she was living a freakin' fairy tale. After kissing a whole bunch of frogs, Meredith Grey had finally found herself a good man.

Hearing a knock at the door, she dried her hands and went to open it. Outside stood a tall, beautiful woman in fancy clothes, obviously not from anywhere around here.

"Can I help you?" Meredith asked.

"I'm looking for Dr. Derek Shepherd. I was told he lives here," the other woman replied.

"He does. I'll go get him. Who should I say wants to speak with him?" Meredith asked.

"Tell him his wife, Addison Shepherd, would like to have a few words with him."

* * *

"Addison," Derek said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Addison Shepherd glanced around the small house. It looked recently moved into. Curtains weren't hung. The kitchen table was overloaded with dishes, pots and pans that had yet to be put away. Clothes were flung over chairs. And not just men's clothes but a variety of dresses and petticoats as well. As Addision took the sight in, she quickly realized that her husband was not living here alone. That the woman she had met at the door was the one living with him. A pang squeezed her heart. Her husband had moved on, without her. Quickly shaking off the feeling of desolateness, she resolved that he wouldn't do that just yet. At least not without a fight.

"I have come to see my husband of course," she replied as she removed her gloves and seated herself at the kitchen table.

"Please, by all means, take a seat," Derek replied sarcastically.

Addison only smiled in response. "Such a lovely home," she remarked and turning to the blonde woman she said, "I don't believe we've met. Your name is?"

"Meredith," the other woman replied.

"So nice to have a name to go with my husband's mistress."

"Addison," Derek replied sharply. "She's not my mistress."

"I beg to differ. What else would you call the woman who is fornicating with your husband? A whore?"

"Addison, that's enough," Derek growled as he roughly grabbed Addison's arm and escorted her outside.

Angered, Addison shook herself free from his hold. "You don't need to be so rough."

"You don't need to be so rude."

"I have every right to be rude when you leave me for that...that whore!"

Derek laughed humorlessly. "Look who's calling the kettle black. No one knows more about being a whore than you."

And for the second time since arriving in Gracewood Springs, Derek Shepherd was smacked across the face.

* * *

Cristina, hearing a knock on the clinic door, quickly opened it, expecting to find Dr. Shepherd and Meredith. To her surprise, she found standing before her the preacher's daughter, April Kepner.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

The other woman bit her lip nervously. "Um, do you think we could talk inside? It's kind of a private matter."

Cristina nodded and stepped backward to allow April in. "Why don't you take a seat on the exam table and then we can talk," she suggested.

April obeyed, sitting primly on the edge of the table. "You...you won't tell anybody why I'm here will you?"

"That would be difficult considering that I don't even know why you're here."

"Oh, well, you see..." April began as she wrung her hands. "I...I think I might be expecting a...a baby." She ended on a whisper.

Now, Cristina Yang did not know much about April Kepner, but she did know one thing. The girl was extremely religious. Cristina guessed she was nice but she always seemed a little holier than thou. Always going to church. Always helping out those less fortunate than her. You would never see her joking around or flirting with boys. She was always prim, always proper. So needless to say, April's revelation, shocked the living daylights out of Cristina.

"Alright. I'll just do a quick check up and we'll see if that's so," Cristina replied.

Minutes later, Cristina finished writing in her notebook. April Kepner was indeed pregnant. The goody two shoes wasn't quite so good, was she? Cristina couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Outwardly though, she was a paragon of professionalism.

"Miss Kepner, your suspicions were correct. You are going to have a baby. You're not very far along. Maybe only six or seven weeks."

"Oh, OK," murmured April. The girl was clearly in shock.

Cristina noticed a few tears eke out of April's eyes. Feeling pity for the other woman, Cristina considered telling her about other options. She didn't have to have the baby. She could terminate the pregnancy if she wished. However, the subject was a bit taboo and Cristina wasn't sure if her offer would be taken kindly. She instead chose to keep the information to herself.

"You probably think I'm some horrible person who doesn't have the morals of an alley cat. It's really not like that. I just did something very silly and now I'm going to have to find a way to explain myself. My pa's gonna be fit to be tied."

"I am sorry," Cristina replied, handing the other woman a handkerchief. She always felt awkward in these types of situations. April Kepner wasn't the first woman for whom she'd had to confirm an unwanted pregnancy. And she wouldn't be the last. She knew she should try to get better at consoling her patients, but she had neither the will nor the energy to really care.

"It's OK. I'm gonna be fine. I...I really hope it's gonna be OK," April got out on a sob. "It's not gonna be OK. My pa's gonna kill him and then me."

Cristina continued to feel increasingly awkward with each tear the other woman shed. She really didn't know a nice way to ask her to leave. She racked her brains for a polite way to do so. Giving up, she finally said, "Well, take care of yourself. Don't do anything too strenuous. Come back in a few months and we'll check on the baby again. Good luck telling your Pa," she said as she opened the door and ushered April out.

* * *

Jackson was on his way to the store when he caught sight of his wife exiting the clinic. It did not take him long to notice that her cheeks were tear stained. Something wasn't right. He had to find out what was bothering her.

Few people were out and about in the town so Jackson felt confident enough to pull over to the side of the street. Jumping out of the wagon, he walked over to April who was slumped against the wall of the clinic, trying her best to stem the flow of tears.

"April..."

Turning around, shocked, April gasped, "Jackson? What...what are you doing here?"

"Look, let's go somewhere we can talk in private," Jackson suggested.

"But, what if people see us together?"

"Don't worry about it. Just get in the wagon."

Minutes later, they arrived at the store. They ascended the stairs to Jackson's office above. Closing the door, Jackson motioned for April to take a seat.

"Now, tell me. Why were you crying outside the doc's office?"

His question was met with silence. April's gaze seemed intent upon her lap. Her thumbs twiddled.

"April," he urged.

A fresh batch of tears streamed out of April's eyes. She covered her face with her hands and her body shook with the quiet sobs. Rushing over to her, Jackson put his arm around her, smoothed her hair back and gently began to rock her back and forth.

"Shh. Shh. Tell me what's wrong and I'll do what I can to make it right."

April vehemently shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing can make this right."

"April, what's wrong?"

He continued to hold her as the sobs racked her body.

Again, he prodded, "April..."

"I...I...I'm going to have a b..baby!" she exclaimed before bursting into tears yet again.

Jackson felt like his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. She was going to have a baby? How did this happen? Memories of their evenings together flashed through Jackson's mind as he remembered exactly how it had happened.

After a few moments of speechless shock, acceptance set in. He had gotten his wife with child. There was nothing so very wrong about that. In different circumstances, they would both be celebrating right now. But they'd been playing a charade for the past couple of months. Well, it was about time to stop. Everyone would need to find out now that they were married.

"Hey, it ain't so bad, is it? We're married. It's not like we've done anything wrong. We'll just go over and tell your parents. Get your stuff and then you can move over to my place. Where you belong."

April's head shot up. She stared at him in bewilderment. "Are you crazy? Have you met my pa? He's gonna have a hard time accepting the fact that I'm expecting. Not to mention he's gonna have an even harder time accepting that you're his son-in-law."

Jackson felt his anger slowly rise. "What do you suppose we do then? Pretend you're not gonna have a baby? That sure is gonna be hard a few months from now when your belly starts poking out your dress."

"We can't Jackson. We can't tell them now. Our families. They won't take it well. They already don't like each other. This just ads more fuel to the fire."

"That's their problem. Not ours."

"Jackson, we have to smooth things over first. We need to see if we can patch things up between them..."

"And how are we gonna do that? More importantly, why should we do that? Like I said that's their problem, not ours."

"Of course their problems are our problems! Do you want our children to grow up estranged from their family? Living in the same town with grandparents that won't even talk to them? Cuz I don't."

"Look April. I think you're blowing this way out of proportion. Our families don't dislike each other so much that they would refuse to claim their kin."

"Well, I don't want to have to find out. I think we need to take a break from each other until we can find a way...some way...to make everything right with our families."

As April stood up, Jackson grabbed her wrist. "Don't. Don't let our families dictate our happiness."

"Jackson," April sighed. "There's not much else we can do..."

Jackson began to pace back and forth. "I don't agree to this. I won't agree to this. You can pretend we're not married all you want, but I'm not going to."

"Jackson," April said, panic in her voice. "What are you gonna do?"

"What we should have done a long time ago. Tell them we're married."

* * *

Alex shifted nervously from one foot to another. He was trying to drum up enough courage to go inside the schoolhouse and talk to Arizona.

Today was his last day of tutoring, but Arizona didn't know that. This morning, he'd gone down to the bank and signed the deed to his land. Despite how good the Robbins had been to him, he was as pleased as punch about not having to work for others anymore. No more following other people's orders. The only boss he had now was himself.

But he was going to miss Arizona something terrible. His favorite part of the day was coming to tutoring and then driving her home. He loved helping her warm, curvy body up into the wagon. He'd always pause for a second to smell her hair before helping her onto the seat. He was going to miss those moments. That was until he'd come up with an alternate plan.

Taking in a deep breath, he climbed up the stairs to the schoolhouse. Arizona was still a little miffed with him for talking to the new blonde woman in town, but she'd get over it. Just like she had everything else. Arizona wasn't one to hold a grudge for long.

"You're late," she snapped.

"Sorry," he muttered. Darn, it was gonna be harder than he expected with her glaring at him like that.

"Well, sit down and we'll get started. Turn to page 89."

Alex didn't listen, but instead walked over to where she was gathering pencils and paper. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her in close.

"Alex! What...what are you doing?" she gasped.

In response, he pressed his lips against hers. Then, stayed and stayed and finally moved. It soon became obvious that Arizona had little experience with kissing when he licked her lips and they stayed closed. "Open your mouth," he breathed.

Her lips parted and Alex began to kiss her as he'd longed to do for weeks. But after a few moments, he pulled back. He had news to tell her.

"I got my own land now. Signed the papers this morning."

"That's great Alex. So you won't be needing to be tutored anymore?" she asked, a wistful note in her voice.

"No. Not anymore."

"Well, I'm very proud of you. You worked really hard and accomplished a lot. Good for you. I guess I'll see you when I see you."

"Arizona, I was wondering..."

"Yes..."

"Would you like to start courtin'?"

* * *

Jackson riffled through the papers in his desk drawer, searching for his and April's marriage license. He had no doubt that Mr. Kepner was not going to meet the news of his daughter's marriage with excitement. He was going to need physical evidence that he hadn't defiled the man's daughter and that their marriage was legal.

Finding the piece of paper in the bottom drawer, Jackson stood straight and walked over to April. "Let's go," he said.

"Where are we going?" she asked, timidly, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"To your parents' house. It's about time we fessed up."

* * *

"Meredith, you don't have to leave," Derek protested.

Meredith, not listening, kept packing her trunk with her belongings. "Derek, you didn't tell me you had a wife! That's kind of important information."

Derek ran his hand through his hair. "I know. I know. It's just that my marriage is this huge sham. I thought by leaving Manhattan I could escape my old life."

"Well, you can't end a marriage just by leaving. Why didn't you just get a divorce?"

Derek laughed hollowly. "That I can not do. I'm a bit trapped."

"How so?"

"I signed a legal agreement that whether I died or whether we got divorced, Addison would get all my property and money. Foolish, I know, but I thought we were both in love."

"Oh, so this is all about money."

"Not really, but I do have my mom and my sisters to think of. I can't very well leave them penniless. My father died when I was a boy and there is no one else left to care for them...Meredith, please, please don't go. I made a foolish mistake years ago. I fell in love with a woman who was only in love with my money. Are you going to make me pay more than I already have?"

Meredith dropped the nightgown she was folding. Derek did sound sincere. Yet she suspected there was more to his and Addison's story.

"If I don't leave, where's Addison going to stay?"

"Um, about that..."

* * *

Mark watched as his wife trotted her new horse around the corral. The stallion was young, only two years old. If anyone could turn him into a proper riding horse for one of the wealthy gentleman that breezed through this town, it was Calliope. His wife stood in the center of the pen holding onto the rope as the horse ran in circles around her. Her raven hair whipping in the gentle breeze. Mark couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Well, one particular part of her had his complete and full attention. Her breasts. They were as big as melons. Being with child had made them humongous. He grinned and congratulated himself for his part in beautifying her body. For someone who was initially afraid of marriage and impending fatherhood, he found that he had taken quite a liking to it.

Calliope slowed the horse to a halt. Grabbing the horn of the saddle, she hoisted herself up on the horse.

"Hey, Calliope, I don't think that's a real good idea. He's still a little wild. Maybe wait until he's a little more tame," Mark shouted.

"Don't worry Mark. I've dealt with dozens of horses just like this one."

Mark watched with nervous apprehension as she rode the horse in circles. Kicking her heels in the sides of the horse, she got him to trot.

"See. He's a quick learner. Aren't you baby?" she said to the horse, rubbing his neck.

"He is, but maybe you should call it quits for today though. He's looking a little tired."

"Give me a couple minutes. I'm gonna see if I can get him to gallop." Kicking his sides again, Calliope spurred the young stallion into a gallop.

The horse, not quite so steady at this speed, obviously didn't feel comfortable having a rider on his back. Rearing up, the horse bucked Calliope off his back. Mark gazed helplessly as his wife fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Scared and desperate, Mark shouted his wife's name as he ran towards the pen.

* * *

Jackson quickly walked up the steps to the Kepners' house, April trailing behind him, doing her best to keep up with him. He rapped on the door loudly. Seconds later, Mrs. Kepner opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kepner," Jackson said. "If I may, I'd like to speak to you and your husband."

Mrs. Kepner glanced skeptically at Jackson and April. "Yes, come on in," she said as she opened the door wide to allow them entrance.

"Karen? Who's at the door?" Joe Kepner asked as he walked through the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Jackson. "What are you doing here?" he asked accusingly.

"I'm glad you asked, Mr. Kepner. We're here to get April's things. She's coming home with me."

"And why would she do that?"

"Because she's my wife."

Mrs. Kepner let out an audible gasp. Joe Kepner's face burned red with anger. "If this is some kind of joke, I don't find you very funny, Avery."

"It's not a joke," Jackson replied, taking out the marriage license from his pocket and handing it to April's father.

Joe inspected the piece of paper that had been handed to him. "Is what he's saying true, pumpkin? Did you two get married? Even after I forbid you not to?"

April nodded. "I'm sorry Pa. I know you didn't want me to marry him, but I love him. I don't want to live a life without him."

Joe glanced at the paper again. "Looks like you two have been married for a little over a month. That's a long time to keep a secret. I'm not a fan of liars, Avery."

"Yeah, well we wouldn't have had to keep our mouths shut about this if you and my grandpa could keep things civil. I love her. She loves me. We wanted to get married so we did. I'm sorry that we kept quiet about this for so long, but it's time for things to change. It's time for her to come live with me now."

"Why this? Why all of a sudden?"

Jackson bit the inside of his cheek, carefully weighing in his mind what he was going to say. Not sure how wise it would be to bring up the baby right now. "I just couldn't wait any longer. She's my wife and I want her to come make her home with me. I guess when it comes right down to it I'm tired of having my fate decided by two ridiculous old men. You and my grandpa both need to understand that this is our life, not yours. You have no right to dictate."

Joe Kepner's hand balled into a fist. He edged closer to Jackson. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't knock you out flat."

"Pa," April said, standing in front of Jackson, protecting him. "We didn't mean for things to happen this way, but we thought if we didn't elope we'd never get married. I love him Pa. I can't imagine my life without him. You can't blame him for what his grandpa did. It wasn't his fault."

April's father unclenched his fist and took a deep breath. "I think it's best if you leave now Avery. My wife and I have some things we need to discuss with April."

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. She's my wife and I'm not leaving without her."

"Now, son, you don't want me to get riled up. I ain't too pleasant to be around when I'm riled up," Joe said as he closed the distance between himself and Jackson.

"I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, but I aim to have my wife set up in MY house this evening. I think it's best if you let her go upstairs and get her dresses or whatever else she's going to need."

Crumpling the marriage license into a ball, Joe walked over to the fire place and threw it onto the flames.

"You ain't married now. This marriage is annulled."

"Oh, pa, you shouldn't have done that!" April gasped.

* * *

"Mmm. This is just what the doctor ordered, Iz," Charles praised as pieces of biscuit flew out his mouth. "Your cooking always hits the spot."

Izzie smiled. "Thanks."

Charles stood up and wrapped his arms around his wife. "I know we fuss at each other a bunch, but I'm sure glad you're my woman." Giving her a squeeze and a quick kiss, he said, "Well, I better milk the cows afore it gets too dark."

Izzie playfully rolled her eyes as he headed out the door. Sometimes that man could drive her nuts and other times he could be so sweet. Marriage was sure full of ups and downs.

Minutes later when she was finishing up the dishes, she heard Charles enter the house. Turning around, she squealed when she saw what he was carrying in his arms.

"I found this little fella out by the barn. Didn't know if maybe you'd wanna keep him as an inside pet. Maybe he'll keep you company during the day so you won't get so bored."

Rushing over to her husband, Izzie took the black and white kitten out of her husband's arms. "Oh, he's so cute Charley!" she exclaimed, using the nickname she hadn't called him since the early days of their marriage. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I know I haven't been treating you right since we got here. I've been so stressed trying to get the farm together. But it ain't no excuse. You forgive me?"

"I forgive you," she whispered, planting a kiss on his lips.

* * *

"Dinner was nice," Alex said.

"Thanks, I made it myself."

"Really? Your mom is usually the one that cooks."

"I know, but I wanted to make something special for you," Arizona said, smiling up at him.

"And why is that?" Alex asked in a low whisper.

"I want you to know what I'm capable of in the kitchen."

Arizona winced inwardly as she realized what she'd said. She'd all but admitted to Alex that she thought of marrying him and cooking for him. Which was of course true, but he didn't need to know that, at least not now. She was so embarrassed. She wanted to go hide in a bush.

"I was impressed. I definitely wouldn't mind a wife that knows her way around the kitchen."

Arizona blushed. She couldn't help it.

Alex's voice rumbled when he murmured, "I like it when you blush. Makes your cheeks all rosy."

Arizona's blush deepened as she turned away from him, attempting to hide her face. Gently grabbing her hand, Alex pulled her near. "You are so very beautiful," he said, pushing a strand of her hair back. "Can I kiss you again?"

"Yes," Arizona breathed, closing her eyes in anticipation of his lips.

This time Arizona got the hint when she felt Alex's tongue stroke against her bottom lip. She knew to open her mouth and allow him to slip his tongue in. It was an odd way to kiss. She sure had never seen her parents kiss the way he did, but it was quite pleasant.

"We better stop before someone comes looking for us," Arizona said a minute later, pulling away.

Alex reached for her hand and held it in his own as they continue to walk around her family's pond.

"So, what's it like to have your own place?"

"Pretty darn great. I'm my own boss for the first time in...forever. Nobody to report to, nobody to tell me what to do. Get to work my own hours. It's everything I've always wanted.

"What do you plan for the place?"

"Well, I think I'm gonna raise sheep. I've got a hundred head on their way to Denver. I pick 'em up next week."

"Oh," said Arizona, a little distraught. "You'll be gone for a little while."

"Yeah, will you miss me? There you go blushing again, you will, won't ya?"

Arizona nodded her head.

"Know what? I might miss you too." Alex confessed before leaning in for another kiss.

* * *

"Oh, no!" April gasped. "No, no, no!"

April felt as if her entire world had just fallen apart. Her father had just destroyed the only evidence she had of being married. What was she going to do now? A feeling of lightheadedness swept over her and she blacked out.

April came to minutes later with the assistance of her mother's smelling salts. She found herself lying on the couch. Her mother, father and husband's worried faces all stared down at her. Very slowly, she sat up.

"Pa," she said, shakily. "What you did was very wrong."

"I had to do what I had to do. You two have no business being married."

"That's where you're wrong. It's actually very necessary for us to be married. Because you see Pa, I'm gonna have a baby."

* * *

"Doc, is she gonna be OK?" Mark asked, staring down at his very pale, slightly shaken wife.

Derek Shepherd had just finished his examination of Calliope Sloan. Everything seemed to be in working order and he told the woman's husband as much.

"The baby?" Calliope asked. "Is he all right?"

"You're not bleeding and everything else is stable. It appears that your baby is doing quite well."

"Thank goodness!" Calliope cried, hugging Mark. "I was so worried."

Mark didn't return her hug. His jaw was set and he looked irritated. "Thanks, Doc. How much do I owe ya?"

After settling the bill, Dr. Shepherd left. Mark spun around to stare at his wife. "That was an incredibly stupid thing to do, Calliope. How could you? Don't you have any common sense?"

Tears welled in Calliope's eyes as she stared in shock at her husband. "What?"

Mark began to pace the length of their bedroom. "You could have died! The baby could have died! Why didn't you listen to me?" he shouted.

"Why are you yelling?"

"Because you weren't thinking! I could have lost you and the baby. Then, what would I have? I was so scared," he choked out, tears gleaming in his eyes.

Shocked by her husband's display of raw emotion, Calliope stood up and walked into her husband's arms. "I shouldn't have tried to ride that horse," she confessed. "I'll be smarter from now on. I promise..Hey, I'm still here. I'm fine," she whispered as she stood on tip toe to kiss the single tear that had fallen down his cheek. Mark brought her body closer to his and began to kiss her as if his life depended on it.

"Don't do that ever again," he whispered against her lips. "Promise."

"I promise," she said, wrapping her arms around him and clinging to him tightly. "I promise."

* * *

Addison was taking the clothes out of her trunk when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called.

She was slightly surprised to see Meredith when the door opened. Addison had hoped that Derek would come to talk to her. They had so many things to work out.

"Um, hi," Meredith said as she stepped in the room. "Could we talk?"

"Sure," Addison said, letting the dress slip back into the trunk as she sat down on the bed and patted a spot next to her. "Have a seat."

Meredith looked doubtfully at her. "No thanks. I think I will stand. I just wanted to let you know that I will be moving back to the saloon until you go back to New York."

Addison let out a laugh. "I won't be returning to New York. I plan to stay here with my husband."

Addison caught Meredith's look of annoyance. "Derek must have told you about me. How he thinks I am a gold digger."

"He doesn't think. He knows. And Addison, he is being extremely generous letting you stay here. He could have thrown you out on your rear."

"Much as he may hate me. I am still his wife. He still has an obligation to me first. You will always come second. You are only the mistress. The whore."

"That I may be, but he loves me and I love him. Once you leave, our lives will be able to go back to normal. I hope, for Derek's sake, that will be soon."

"Don't count on it," Addison spat. "Derek loved me once. I can make him love me again."

"Good luck with that," Meredith said as she left the room, slamming the door shut.

* * *

A very crude expletive slipped out of Karen Kepner's mouth, shocking everyone in the room. Her face reddening, Karen gasped, "Joe, how could you! Our daughter is now ruined. What are we going to do, Joe? What are we going to do?"

Joe Kepner gently took his wife in his arms as she sobbed against his chest. He was still in shock hearing the news that his sweet little daughter April would be giving him and Karen a grandchild in a few months. He was also appalled at his own behavior. Sometimes his temper got the best of him and made him do stupid things. Burning their marriage license hadn't been one of his smartest moves.

"I don't rightly know, Karen."

All of a sudden, his wife, normally a calm, warm woman, struck out at him, hitting his chest with her fists. "You should know, Joe. You should know. Our little girl's gonna be ruined over this. All because of your temper and your stupid pride!"

Jackson put his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Let's settle down. I think we're all a little wound up. We can find a solution to this problem."

Joe swept his hand over his thinning hair. Think, Kepner, think, he told himself. Snapping his fingers, he said, "I know. I'll just marry you myself. Right here, right now. Your ma will be one witness and we'll grab a field hand to be the other one. Get you married in no time."

"Are you serious, Pa?" April asked, astounded. "I thought you hated the Averys."

"Dead serious," he replied. "I can't have my daughter having a baby out of wedlock. Jackson, go outside and fetch a field hand. Let's get this wedding started."

* * *

Dear Arizona,

Looks like only half my shipment of sheep is in Denver. I've got to stay here another two weeks before the rest come in. I know I was supposed to take you to the barn dance this Saturday, but I won't be able to make it. I'm sorry. I really wish I could take you 'cuz you look really good all gussied up. I like it when you wear your hair curly. You look just like a picture.

Not much to do here except play cards and drink. Counting the days til my sheep come in and I can see you again.

Yours truly,

Alex

* * *

Dear Alex,

I was so happy to receive your letter. I am sorry you have to stay in Denver for a while longer. Do not worry about the dance. There are others we can attend. I look forward to them because you look very dapper when you shave and wear your Sunday best. I always feel so special having the most handsome man in town escort me.

A word of caution. Do not drink or gamble too much. Everything in moderation. I want you to come home to me in one piece. And don't you dare spend any time with one of those saloon girls.

Counting the days and hours until you return.

Sincerely yours,

Arizona


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It is appreciated:)**

**Just a note, I did write in the summary that there would be some alternative pairings. I will go ahead and say right now that Calzona's not going to end up together in this story. If that's what you're looking for to happen in this story, it's not. I'll save you some time. This story is completely AU and based on the whims of the author who happens to be me:) I always thought an Alex/Arizona pairing would be interesting. That's why I'm exploring it.**

"Come here, Red! Oh, you're hungry, aren't you boy?" Calliope asked the golden retriever as she filled his bowl with food. She knelt to scratch him behind his ears before getting up and heading back to the house.

"Oh!" she gasped suddenly, putting her hand on her stomach.

"Calliope! What's wrong darling?" Mark asked, rushing to her side, clearly panicked. Her fall from the horse made the fear of losing her vividly real.

"N..Nothing. I think I felt the baby kick."

"You did?" Mark asked, pressing his hand against her stomach expectantly.

The couple stood in the yard quietly for a few minutes. They waited for the baby to kick a second time, but they did so in vain. There was to be no second kick.

Calliope shrugged. "I guess that was it. He must be shy."

Mark took his hand off of her belly. Looking at her in awe, he said, "This is crazy. One day we're just friends foolin' around in the barn and now look at us, we're having a baby. A real live baby. I can't believe it."

Calliope nodded, a little choked up by the experience. Her baby had moved insider her. It was like her baby was communicating with her, telling her he or she was in there, growing like a weed.

They made their way inside. Mark stoked the fire and joined Calliope on the rug. Lying down, he rested his head against her stomach, placing a light kiss just below her belly button. He looked up and gazed into her eyes. "What do you want? A boy or a girl?"

Calliope sat with one arm behind her and the other stroking Mark's head. After a moment's contemplation, she replied, "I think I want a girl."

Mark cocked his head to one side and gave her a weird look. "Hmm, that's odd," he said. "I always figured you'd want a rough and tumble boy that you can teach to ride and tame horses. I didn't figure you for wanting a girl baby you'd have to dress up and make her look all girly and stuff. Frilly dresses, curly hair, tea parties, dances, cooking and cleaning. That's not really your thing."

Calliope's hand froze. "First of all, my daughter can do as she pleases. If she wants to ride horses, that's fine. If she wants to wear fancy dresses and go to parties every night, that's fine too. And if she wants to become a sailor and sail the seven seas, I'd still be proud of her. Second, you don't think I'm feminine enough to teach my daughter how to dress and do her hair?"

Mark winced and murmured "oof" as his head hit the floor. He sat up quickly and put his arms around his wife to comfort her. She wasn't having it. She turned away from him with a huff.

"Calliope, I didn't say that."

"That's what you were hinting at. I know I don't dress up in pretty frocks or wear my hair in the latest fashion, but I still got my pride you know?"

Mark went to her side once more. "You may not be girly in the traditional sense but you sure as heck are womanly. Far more woman than I deserve."

Calliope pouted and twisted away from him once more. "You're just saying that since you hurt my feelings."

Sighing, Mark wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and refused to let go this time when she tried to break free. "You need to listen to me. What you wear, how you fix your hair, or how much rouge you put on isn't what makes you a woman. You're a woman because you love with all your heart. You're strong, independent (although I wouldn't mind if you needed me more), and not afraid to speak your mind. You love me and our baby. I know you'd do anything to protect us. You might not wear dresses all the time but I sure can tell you're a woman in those jeans. and those button down shirts fit in all the right places. I love all your delicious curves… And it doesn't matter if we have a boy or a girl, you'll be a mighty fine mama either way."

Tears pricked Calliope's eyes. Why'd he have to go and be so sweet to her? And why was she so emotional all of a sudden? Her madre had said that having a baby made you want to cry one second, gobble an entire plate of bacon the next, and hug and kiss on your man after that. Guess she was right. Sinking into her husband's embrace, she didn't turn away when he bent to kiss her lips.

"Why do you want a girl?" Mark asked.

Calliope smiled wistfully. "I don't know. I just thought it would be nice to have a little girl. To braid her hair. To pass on my love for animals. I also…Oh, it's stupid."

"Tell me. I bet it's not stupid," Mark encouraged.

Blushing a little, she continued, "I thought it might be cute to see you holding our daughter. You're so big and strong and manly. I like the thought of you holding a little girl in your arms, protecting her, keeping her safe."

Mark nodded. "Darn right. I'd never let anyone hurt my little girl."

Calliope stroked Mark's forearm, leaning into him. The anger she'd felt a couple minutes ago completely gone. "What do you want? A boy or a girl?"

"At first, I thought a boy. Somebody to carry on my name and business. But now that you've got to talking, a little girl might not be so bad."

"If we have a son, he's not carrying on your business. That saloon is no place for a child to be…"

Calliope would have continued, but a pair of mirthful lips were pressed against her own.

* * *

April hummed to herself as she cracked eggs into the skillet. She'd lived at Jackson's house for a little over a month now and the honeymoon phase still hadn't worn off. She woke up every morning happy to be alive and blessed to be married to such a good man. But most of all, she was glad that everyone knew about her and Jackson. No more secrets, no more sneaking around. They were officially married and all the town knew.

"Good morning," her husband said as he entered the kitchen. He hugged her from behind and pressed a kiss against the base of her neck. For a few moments, they stood there in silence. April flipping over eggs and bacon. Jackson embracing her and breathing in her sweet scent.

"Will you put the plates and silverware on the table?" April asked.

Jackson reluctantly broke his hold on her. Getting the plates from the hutch in the dining room, he grinned when he saw his wife bent over and taking the biscuits out of the oven. He could look at that fanny all day long.

Taking a seat at the table, his eyes followed her form as she went about putting food on the table. He did so enjoy watching her from behind.

"Jackson, will you go get me some water?"

Jackson didn't respond. He was too deep in thought. And his thoughts revolved around how badly he wanted to squeeze her booty. She didn't mind if his hands found their way to her bottom at night, but during the day she was often too embarrassed to fool around. He really needed to find a way to change that.

"Jackson! Are you listening to me?"

"Naw, I wasn't. I was a little distracted. I do declare Mrs. Avery you've got the finest rear end this side of the Mississippi," Jackson replied honestly.

His comment earned him a swat from his wife. "You have got a one track mind. There's more to life than canoodling all the time. Now, go get me some water from the well so I can wash up afterwards."

"But canoodling is so much fun…"

"Out, now," April ordered as she pushed her husband out the door.

April shook her head as her husband walked outside towards the well. She couldn't believe him. He was always so preoccupied with her behind. If he wasn't looking at it, he was trying to get his hands on it. Men, she thought.

April got out the butter and started buttering the biscuits. Glancing out the kitchen window, she watched as Jackson took off his shirt. Her mouth began to salivate as he stooped over the well and washed his face in the cold water. She gasped out loud seconds later as she watched the drops of water slowly trickle down his chest to the waist band of his pants. Her heart started to pitter patter a little faster than normal. The knife hitting the floor finally shook her out of her reverie.

* * *

Addison took a deep breath and offered a cup of coffee to Derek who was reading the newspaper at the table. "Here," she said before pouring her own cup of coffee and joining him at the table.

Derek begrudgingly took a sip of the coffee. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Why show up now? When I'm happy. When I'm moving on with my life."

She knew this was going to be hard. She'd really hurt Derek. She hadn't meant to but she had. Addison didn't think any amount of apologies or promises would move him. He loved someone else now. The smart thing to do would be to cut her losses and leave. But she couldn't do that…yet.

"I'm here for _you_, Derek. I want to give us another shot. I…I love you."

Derek scoffed. "You don't love anybody but yourself. You proved that time and again in New York. You only cared that you had the best house, the best clothes, and the richest people attending your parties. Nothing else mattered to you. You married a man you didn't love just so you could have every little thing your heart desired."

"You're right. I did marry you for your money, but after we got married and I got to know you. I fell in love with you."

Derek guffawed. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Whether you do or not doesn't change the fact that it's true."

Letting out a long sigh, Derek said, "I'm tired, Addison. I just want to move on with my life. See where this thing with Meredith leads. I can't really do that if you're still around. What's it going to take for you to give me a divorce without leaving me penniless?"

Knowing that she'd lost the battle, Addison decided to give in. "I'll give you a divorce and I won't take a cent from you, but in return I want a baby. Your baby."


End file.
